AN: Sorry for the long wait folks, life got weird. I do hope that the length of the chapter makes up for the absence.
I have received numerous reviews and PM's begging me not to abandon this story, now I'm not planning on abandoning it anytime soon. I have the entire story outlined but I do upload as I write so it does lead to strange gaps in my uploads.
Anyway, on with the show!
Logan was standing in the sitting room of what was technically his apartment on Fifth Avenue. While he owned it, the place had been where his dad has spent most of his time and the place had 'Mitchum' written all over it, with its old-style opulence and grand antiques, the place reeked of old billions and Logan couldn't take it anymore. Whether or not he could convince Rory that they could live together, he knew that he had to sell his dad's old apartment, but before he could do that, he had to clear the place out.
He was deciding what furniture he should put in storage and what he should send back to Hartford when Rory appeared in the doorway.
"Hey. What are you doing here? I thought you were spending the night with your mom?"
Rory just shrugged her shoulders and slumped down onto the couch. Logan sat down next to her, put an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "What happened, Rory?" He whispered calmly.
"I was running late after our therapy session and when I told her that was why I was late she immediately thought it was because we weren't happy and she started talking about me moving back and how I could buy the bookshop, forgetting completely that my job was here and that I couldn't leave, no matter what was happening with us. But the worst part was that she was excited by the idea of our relationship failing. What kind of person, what kind of mother is excited that their daughter's long term, leading to a marriage relationship might be failing? I just don't understand. Then we fought about my new car, and she commented on how you wouldn't let me drive something as low class as a Toyota."
"Seriously?" Logan said appalled. "You know I don't care what you drive, right? I just wanted something newer that would be safer for you and the twins."
"I know that Logan, but my mom has some harsh opinions of people who have money and is having a hard time realizing that we aren't the same person."
"Uhm, what?" Logan said lightly.
"Since I was little, mom always referred to me as her 'mini-me' and for a long time, that was true. I think it started because we look so much alike, but it grew to the point where mom, and other people, expected me to do everything my mom did. For a long time, I did, outside of school I would behave like her and like the same things, and importantly, hate the same things. But once I went to Chilton, started a relationship with my grandparents then went off to Yale, all of that started to change. We do have similar personalities and we both love the quirkiness of Stars Hollow, but she hated that I was branching away from her and trying to figure out who I was other than Lorelai the third. When I showed up in my new car, and new clothes she came face to face with the idea that we aren't the same, but she still thought she could change it, change me, but when I dumped out the coffee she poured me, then tried to explain that we aren't experiencing pregnancy the same way she reacted like her world view was falling apart. Then just to top it off I confronted her about the potting shed, but I left before we could start screaming about that." Rory sighed exhausted and leaned fully against Logan. "This is exhausting," Rory said sadly. "I hate that we have this type of relationship now." Rory tried to keep a hold on her emotions, but as she leaned against Logan and thought about what was happening with Lorelai, she couldn't help but start to cry.
Logan pulled her closer and rubbed her arm in a soothing motion. He knew that it must be jarring for her to go from having such a close relationship with her mom to one that was much more distant and turbulent. He kissed her head and once she started to calm down, he spoke, "I know you hate it, but Rory this isn't your fault. If your mom can't support you in finding a new and successful life for yourself away from her and Stars Hollow, then that's her problem. You can have so much more then a small life in an equally small town, there's nothing wrong with that for some people, but you have the talent and the knowledge to have more, if Lorelai can't see that then that's her loss."
"I know but I never expected that we'd have a relationship like this and I don't want to have the type of relationship with her that she has with Grandma and I don't want our kids to have the type of relationship that I had with my grandparents. I don't want her to be a mystery to them."
"Ok," Logan said gently. "Well, what do you want to do?"
"I don't know," Rory whispered helplessly. "I do know that I can't keep doing this. I can't willingly put myself in these situations with her anymore."
"So, what does that mean?" Logan said hesitantly. Logan didn't want to push her into cutting off her mother, but he hated what Lorelai was doing to Rory.
"I'm not done with her, but I won't go back for every movie marathon and town festival she can come up with, and I won't be summoned by her. If she wants to see me, she can come here."
"Ok," It had always bothered him that whenever Lorelai would call Rory would race back to her hometown without a second thought. It would often be for small things that most college students wouldn't go home for. Then when Rory would try to find her own footing in the world, Lorelai would throw a fit and demand Rory come home and then berate her for not following the plan. His relationship with his dad was similar but he had hated it and had eventually told his dad off and found his own life and own success. While Rory rarely argued against Lorelai and would bend to her will.
As he pondered Rory's relationship with Lorelai, he felt her relax and fall heavily against him. When he glanced down at her he saw that the day was taking a toll on her and she had fallen asleep. He thought about moving her to bed, but she looked too comfortable for him to justify moving her. Instead, he shifted to make himself more comfortable then turned the TV on low.
While he watched the newscaster drone on about the president-elect, he thought that no matter how busy or successful he got, his family would always be his priority. He smiled as he settled in to be Rory's pillow for as long as she needed him to be.
And he'd happily stay there for as long as she needed.
It was an unseasonably warm day in February and Rory and Logan were taking advantage of the nice weather and sitting on a bench in Prospect Park taking the chance to get out of the apartment. While Logan hadn't technically moved into Rory's Brooklyn apartment, he spent every night there and most of his belonging were there. He even had a dedicated side of the closet and dresser. He didn't want to spook her by bringing it up, he was willing to let her have the time she wants and he was even willing to talk to Dr. McGuire about it first but he did want to move the relationship forward.
While the topic he wanted to discuss with her wasn't about moving in together or marriage, or one of the other thousand topics that cross his mind on a nearly daily basis, he was hoping that it would still be a step forward for them and a way to show her that this wasn't going to be a repeat of the last three years.
"Ace?"
"Yeah?" She answered serenely. She had had a long day and sitting next to Logan while he lightly rubbed her back caused her to finally relax.
"There is a fundraiser for a children's charity in a few weeks that I need to be at. Both as HPG's CEO, but also representing the Huntzberger's. As 'head of the family' it's on me to show the world that the Huntzberger's aren't a bunch of rich, cold-hearted ass-holes." Though Logan had tried to make light of the situation, Rory still stiffened in his arms, and he could tell she was fighting with herself not to pull away from him.
"That sounds nice," Rory said with false sweetness. "I hope you have a good time." The odd way she almost dismissed it reminded Logan of when his mother would wave off his father in that absent, uncaring tone.
"No, Rory," Logan leaned back so he could look right at her. "I want you to go to the fundraiser with me."
Rory stared at Logan in shock before squeaking out a "What?"
Logan chuckled lightly at Rory's reaction. "I want you to come with me."
"But Logan," Rory was gearing up for one of her rants and he figured it was best to let her ride it out. "We don't go to events like that. Not even when we were dating in college! The closest we got was that DAR event that I hosted when I took time off, but even then, you snuck in the back and tried to leave before you could get sucked into the madness. And now you want me to go with you to a fundraiser event where we'll be on display for not only society but the rest of the world as well. How exactly do you plan on explaining this," Rory gestured wildly between them and her growing baby bump, "to everyone?"
"I've thought about it actually but hear me out before you yell at me." Logan pleaded before launching into an explanation, "While the timing doesn't line up perfectly, it's close enough that we could say that we got involved after I ended my relationship with Odette. I broke up with Odette three weeks after our trip to New Hampshire, it's close enough that I don't think anyone would ask any uncomfortable questions."
"Logan, I don't know. I don't like the idea of lying to the press. If it were a week or two, sure it could work but we're talking close to a month. At that point, someone could count back on their fingers and it would be a disaster. Do you not remember Bill Clinton?"
"Ace, I'm not the president," Logan said with a snort.
"Right, this could be worse!" Rory said near hysterical.
"Ok, we could say that we reconnected after Odette and I ended things privately but before we announced it to the press."
"Really? Would that work?" Rory said doubtfully.
"I think so. I'll run it by Odette and see what she thinks about it."
It never sat well with Rory when Logan mentioned the French heiress, but when he mentioned contacting her in such a cavalier manner, she lost it. She was never able to explain why she got so upset, but some combination of her hormones, the strange relationship with her mom and the fact that the man she loved so much had been engaged to another woman just four months earlier made her lose it. "Is this what it's going to be like Logan?" She exclaimed loudly, as she jumped off the bench and turned to glare at Logan. "You running off to other women, leaving me at home to raise your children and ignore you having affairs?"
"What?" Logan stuttered, confused.
"You heard me," Rory challenged. "Will you be running around with other women later on?"
"Rory, I'd never do that!" Logan yelped.
"Then why was your first thought to talk to Odette when we came up with a plan?" Rory said accusingly.
"Because I don't want her blindsided with a story like that!" He snapped.
"You care about her!"
"Of course, I do! She's my friend."
"See! This is why I don't trust you."
"Don't trust me? I wasn't the only one screwing around behind someone's back, Rory!"
"I wasn't engaged! Is that how you're going to act when we get married?" Rory said hysterically.
"C'mon Rory, that's not fair! It was a PR marriage; we weren't really together. And you were in as much of a committed relationship as I was, but you were happily sleeping with me anyway!"
"Well, I don't have a track record of cheating!"
"Oh yes, you do. I remember what happened between you and Dean. You're just as much of a cheater as me. No! You're more! I'm a man-whore but you're actually a home-wrecker!" Logan snapped at her.
"You're just as much of a bastard as your father," Rory said coldly.
Logan gave Rory a hard stare before speaking. "Go to hell," Logan said coldly before stomping off in a huff.
Quickly Rory realized how badly she had screwed up and shouted after him, hoping that he'd turn around and come back, come back to her. But he either didn't hear her or was ignoring her because she watched him walk away from her. Rory slumped onto the bench and cried as she thought about how they'd managed to go from blissfully happy to screaming at each other in the span of ten minutes, before deciding to go home.
At the edge of the park, Logan was hailing down a cab, once he got in and gave the address to the driver he texted the stooges to meet him at a pub on 55th Street in Manhattan. While Finn responded with an enthusiastic 'Hell yes!' with the demand to make it a night Barney Stinson would be proud of, he got a call from Colin.
"Hey man. Did you get my text?"
"Yeah, I got it," Colin said baffled. "What's up? By my watch you and Reporter Girl should be doing things I don't want any details for, so why are we going out instead?"
"We fought," Logan said quietly.
"How bad?" Colin said seriously.
"Drinking before six, bad. Not so bad that I want to get sloshed."
"Well, that's good at least. I'll tell Steph." Colin said surely.
"Colin no. I love Steph, but I don't think she'd be helpful right now." Logan whined a bit through the phone, much to the cab driver's amusement.
"Not for you, idiot. For Rory. She's not on good terms with Lorelai right now, Lane's in Connecticut, and she hasn't been at the Post long enough to have a friend she'd call in this situation."
"Oh crap, I didn't even think of that. I left her in the park in the middle of February, right after I told her that she was a home-wrecker and that she should go to hell. Fuck, what type of person am I?" Logan said angrily. "Maybe she was right. I am like my father."
Colin sighed already worn out. He loved his friends, but a heartbroken Logan was almost as tiring as a drunk Finn. So, as always, he took control of the situation. "First of all, your nothing like your dad. Rory was probably just pissed and went for an easy shot. Second of all, here's what we're going to do. You go to the bar and get a drink. But make it a single and not something too strong. I'll get Steph to go check on Rory, then I'll meet you there. Then we'll try and fix the mess you made."
"Thanks, man, see you there." Logan hung up the phone and settled in for the drive there.
"What'd Logan do now?" Steph asked from the doorway to the living room startling Colin out of his reverie.
"I'm not really sure. What I do know is that he called Rory a home-wrecker then told her to go to hell." Colin explained.
Stephanie groaned, not believing the idiocy of one of her oldest friends. "He's a moron. An actual moron. He was a complete mess when they split up after college and he finally gets her back and is happier than he's been in a decade and he tries to blow it up. What was he thinking?" Stephanie ranted.
"I have no idea, but he realized he screwed up before we finished the phone call, so that's progress. I told him I'd meet him at that pub that Finn found to hash this out and that you'd go check on Rory."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll head there now." Steph said as she grabbed her purse and keys. "Oh, remind Logan that pregnant women, even Rory Gilmore, aren't always the most rational people and there is a good chance that her hormones were driving that fight."
"Right, good call," Colin said nodding his head when he remembered an odd fight between Honour and one of her friends when Honour claimed their shoes were too similar and she burst into tears after screaming for a solid two minutes when the friend pointed out they were very different shades of the same colour.
"I'll see you later." She said with a quick kiss then left to find Rory.
When Colin walked into the pub nearly an hour later, he found Finn holding court over by the bar, but to Colin's shock Logan wasn't with him. He was sitting in a back booth staring at a glass of scotch. Colin quickly waved at the bartender, indicating that they'd be at the booth when Finn started to lose control, before heading over to Logan. "Hey, man," Colin said as he slipped in across from Logan. "What's going on?"
"I'm a horrible person," Logan said distractedly.
"No, you're not. Now, what happened?"
"Oh, you know, she questioned my commitment, I called her a whore. The usual."
Colin sighed and asked the passing waitress to bring him a drink. "You're going to need to elaborate that one, man." So, Logan told him the whole story, how he invited her to the fundraiser and she wasn't sure how she would be received because of their 'situation', about how he suggested they present their situation to the press and society, about how when he mentioned Odette she flipped and asked if he was going to cheat on her, and everything else all the way up to him telling her to go to hell and storming off, leaving her in the middle of a park in February. From Colin's perspective, it seemed like Logan hit a nerve mentioning Odette and that he flipped out when she started yelling at him. When he got a text from Stephanie that just read HORMONES, he knew that the whole thing just stemmed from a mood swing gone wrong.
"Logan, to me it sounds like you touched a nerve when you said you wanted to run that story by Odette and Rory just went on the offensive and panicked." Logan just nodded and groaned. "Everyone in Connecticut and half of New York City knows that you two are made for each other and that you two are end game. We wait a bit, let everyone cool off then you go crawling back, beg for forgiveness and hope that Reporter Girl forgives your sorry ass."
"Yeah, ok." Logan sighed. The two sat in the booth, nursing their drinks and watching the Finn show until Colin spoke again. "You weren't here for most of Honour's pregnancies, so you missed some of the things that I witnessed when my cousin Lily was pregnant. It's not all as obvious as the vomiting to rival Finn after a bender, or the weight gain, sometimes it's more subtle."
Logan suddenly got this look on his face that reminded Colin of when Rory was trying to solve a problem. Logan started to move his fingers like he was checking something off a list when his head snapped up to look at Colin. "Mood swings! She's had them before, I've talked her out of one before, how did I miss it?"
"When they're aimed at you, they seem completely different from when they're aimed at someone else," Colin said sagely.
"Clearly." Logan huffed. "How exactly do you know this crap?"
"My cousin Lily has always been like a sister to me and when her husband was away, I'd help her out. And we were always super close."
Before either of them could say anything, else Finn landed in the booth, showering himself with his drink but not seeming to notice. "Mates! What are we doing? Should we find some lovely Sheila's to keep us company or should we help father here atone for his sins against mother?"
Colin looked hopefully at Logan hoping he'd make the correct decision. "Men," Logan paused for dramatic effect. "Let's go find Rory." Colin and Finn cheered and clanked their glasses before shouting "To Brooklyn!" And headed for the door.
"Why won't he answer my calls?" Rory cried as her call went to voicemail for the umpteenth time.
"Honey, everything will be fine. You didn't mean what you said, and Logan knows that." Stephanie soothed. "Why don't we order some food? I'm getting hungry and I bet the babies would love something to eat?"
"That sounds great. How about pizza?" Rory said once she calmed down a little.
"Pizza it is."
Stephanie had been attempting to calm Rory down, with varying levels of success since she arrived at her apartment. Once she had managed to calm Rory down enough for her to speak, the retelling of their fight just confirmed to her that it was a mood swing gone wrong. Once she sent Colin a quick text confirming their suspicion she let Rory rant and rave for a bit, knowing that she was under a lot of pressure and that she hadn't had a chance to really have a long meltdown over the whole situation.
They were halfway through the pizza when there was a knock on the front door. With a glance to Rory, who simply shrugged her shoulders Steph went to answer it.
When Steph opened the door, she was thrilled to see a sheepish looking Logan, and not so thrilled to see a clearly drunk Finn. Before she could say anything, she heard Rory yelp "Oh my god, Logan," as she made her way to the door. With a knowing smile and quick wave, Steph grabbed her things and slipped out of the apartment, leaving the couple to kiss and make up.
"I'm sorry!" Rory blurted out before the door had fully shut behind Stephanie. "I'm sorry for saying that I didn't trust you and that you'd be unfaithful. I trust you completely, with our kids, with me, with everything. You'd never be unfaithful to me; I know that and I'm so sorry for even suggesting it!" Rory said emotionally. "I didn't mean it; will you please forgive me."
Logan smiled sweetly at her hysterics and wiped away her tears as he spoke. "Only if you forgive me for calling you a home-wrecker and then running away from the fight."
"You're already forgiven."
Logan grinned and pulled her into a hug and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry." He murmured into her hair with his arms still wrapped around her.
"I'm sorry too."
The pair simply stood there, wrapped in each other's arms for a long time until Logan felt a light nudge against his stomach. He likely would've thought nothing of it except Rory suddenly leapt back and gasped.
"Wait, what?" Rory grabbed his hand and placed it on his stomach, grinning madly.
"Come on, do it again," Rory mumbled quietly.
"Rory, what-" Before Logan could finish his sentence, he felt a slight nudge against his hand. "Wait, was that-"
"It was," Rory said tearily. "That was our babies kicking."
Logan grinned in amazement, rubbing his hand over the spot where he felt the kick. "I love you, Rory."
"I love you too, Logan."
Later, after a round of make-up sex, the two were laying in bed and Logan was working up the nerve to bring up the fundraiser again.
"Rory?" Logan started hesitantly.
"Hmm," Rory mumbled back contently.
"Will you please consider going with me to the fundraiser that I mentioned earlier?" Logan begged.
Rory moved so she could look directly at Logan and thought about it for a minute. She knew there were certain expectations in high society, and one of them was that you were expected to appear at events like this, and when your husband, or soon to be husband, needed to attend that expectation went up tenfold. The fact that it seemed like a real charity, and not a DAR optics stand-in, had piqued her interest. She also liked the idea of being out with Logan in this type of environment, she wanted to be with Logan for the whole world to see, and this would cement their relationship for the rest of society. After a few more moments Rory looked at Logan's nervous expression and took pity on the man. "I've already considered it."
"And?" Logan said hopefully.
"Yes, I'll go." Rory chuckled at his hopeful expression. "But, Logan, I just don't understand why you want me to go so bad."
"We spent a lot of time hiding. Even in college, though that was because we were young and stubborn and didn't want the rest of the world interfering in our relationship. But during the last two years, I didn't treat you the way you deserved, you deserved to be with me for the whole world to see, to be treated like the brilliant, amazing, beautiful woman that you are, and not as my mistress. I want you to go with me because I want to show you off, to have you on my arm to show the world that I am the lucky bastard who gets to spend the rest of his life with you."
Logan had always been good at giving romantic speeches but whenever he did Rory always lit up like it was the first time, she had heard such a speech. "You want to show me off, huh?" Rory said with a smile.
"Absolutely. You in a beautiful dress, showing the chumps just how brilliant you are and that you belong there."
"Flattery will get you everywhere, mister." Rory joked. "So, what's the fundraiser for?"
"It's for a charity that gives books to foster kids and underprivileged kids. The organization also runs an after school program that offers different support and helps them get into college."
"Wow, that's amazing. I can't believe the social elites are sponsoring this." Rory said in shock.
"You weren't super active while you were freelancing but when Princess Kate started pulling a Diana, we started stepping up our game."
"I think that's fantastic, I'm completely on board." Rory went quiet for a moment before speaking again. "You can ask Odette if we can say that you broke up before the official announcement was made."
"Are you sure, Rory? I won't do anything that will upset you."
"I'm sure. We're going to have to tell them something, and it's best if everyone's on the same page."
"Ok, I'll contact her in the morning." Rory nodded and snuggled further into Logan's side, suddenly she reared back in shock to look Logan in the eye. "I'm going to have to dress the part, aren't I?"
Logan cringed, not sure if she was going to like his answer. "It is a classy event, Rory."
Rory sighed. "Ok. Here's something I never thought I'd say," Rory said lightly. "I'm going to have to call my Grandma for fashion advice."
"Well, good luck with that," Logan said with a chuckle.
Rory simply groaned in agreement, not wanting to think about shopping with her grandma.
The next day Rory had called her Grandma to tell her that she was attending the charity event and that she was going to need her help. After Rory explained that she was going to the fundraiser with Logan, Emily couldn't contain herself any longer. "Rory, this is just splendid, your first big charity event," Emily exclaimed happily.
"Grandma, I wouldn't call this my first event. I've been to a few of the DAR's fundraiser's and those were a big deal."
"Rory, that was a big deal for me, your grandfather and some of my friends. This is much more important. You're announcing to the world that you are a part of society, that you've embraced your rights by being a Gilmore, and by going with Logan, where you'll both be on display, you're showing everyone that you're a permanent fixture of these events now."
"Is it wrong that I'm actually a little thrilled by that?" Rory said conspiratorially.
"Not at all. You should've been involved in these events since you were a child, so it's ok to be happy that you're getting involved now. Now, I assume that you didn't call me up just to tell me that?"
Rory laughed at her grandma's snoopiness. "No, I didn't. I realized that I haven't been to one of these things since I was in college, and now that I'm over thirty I won't just be floating in the background occasionally summoned by Grandpa. I need to step up my game and I have no idea how to dress for that."
"Oh Rory, I'm happy to help," Emily nearly squealed. "But why not call one of your friends or even your mother?"
"Mom wouldn't know how to dress for this, she'd see it as an opportunity to make a scene and put me in something too slutty or with a rhinestone penis on the front," Rory said exasperated just by the thought of the situation.
"Why on earth would she make you wear something with a rhinestone penis on it?"
"Because she has a t-shirt with one on it, and I stopped her from wearing it to Friday night dinner more than once, she'd consider it payback to make me wear it to a fancy event. Plus, it would embarrass you."
"I love your mother, but I've given up any hope on her growing up. She's almost 50, she really shouldn't be pulling these stunts like she's fifteen."
"I know."
"I understand why you wouldn't want your mother involved, but why not some of your friends? I know that some of them would know what was appropriate for an event like this."
"I know, but they'd want to turn it into a whole day event, and I don't have the energy or time for something like that. And I want to spend time with you." Rory added quickly.
"I'd love to help you, Rory," Emily said happily, making Rory chuckle. "Since you mentioned you didn't want to do a large shopping trip, would you like me to call Miss Celine?"
"Oh, Grandma you don't have to call her just for me."
"Nonsense and she would be providing me with an outfit as well. I wasn't originally planning on going, but now that you are, I'll happily drive down."
Rory sighed, and she could hear a little voice that sounded a lot like Lorelai mocking her and saying she had willing signed herself up for multiple days with her grandma. "Grandmother Francine and I are trying to get on better terms since I met with them before Christmas, should I give her a call and see if she's going to the fundraiser and if she'd like to join us with Miss Celine?" Despite the little voice in her head, she wanted to get to know Francine better and she really was looking forward to spending some time with her grandma.
"Wow, how was that?" Emily said with as much polite disbelieve as she could muster.
"It went fine actually. I went up there to tell dad about being pregnant and he ambushed me with Francine and Gigi. I love seeing Gigi, but I was not prepared for Francine. Luckily Logan is a good sport who can think on his feet, he had to steer the conversation and me until I was able to speak."
"You've got a good man, Rory."
"I really do. I thought he was going to panic when I told him I was pregnant, but once he got over the initial shock, he was extremely happy."
"I can only imagine." Rory smiled as she thought about how happy Logan was when he found out about the pregnancy, how he became so affectionate and concerned. Her train of thought was caught off by Emily trying to get her attention. "Now, Rory, I haven't been to your new home yet but is it big enough for Miss Celine? I know those New York apartments can be small."
Rory glanced around her apartment and while it was ok for just her, or her and a baby, but her Grandma, Francine, Miss Celine and the entire stock of Harrods were not going to fit in her apartment. "Oh, I don't think it will all fit. Grandma, what are we going to do?" Rory said starting to get hysterical.
"Rory, calm down. Does Logan still have Mitchum's apartment?"
"Yes," Rory said shakily.
"Then ask him if we can use it for dress fittings on Saturday. I'll call Miss Celine and make an appointment and inform her it's in New York, then you call Francine once I confirm everything with Miss Celine. How does that sound?"
Rory smiled slightly, glad that Emily was able to calm her down and take control of the situation because she knew that she had been dangerously close to a breakdown. "That sounds great, grandma. Thank you."
"You're very welcome, dear. I'll call Miss Celine and all you have to do is talk to that wonderful man of yours to see if we can borrow Mitchum's apartment."
"Thank you so much, bye grandma."
"Goodbye, Rory." Rory hung up the phone and glanced around the apartment wondering how exactly she was going to raise two kids there. It was a nice place, and it would have been perfectly fine for just her, or her and one baby, but two babies? And while she and Logan weren't officially living together, he spent nearly every night there and when the babies came, he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Right at that moment Logan walked into the living room from the bedroom and realized Rory was looking around the space with a helpless expression. Hoping to avoid another big blow up, Logan tread carefully. "Hey Ace, what's wrong?"
Rory took a deep breath, hoping to avoid another meltdown, and once she thought she had some control she spoke, "I just called Grandma and when I told her that I was going to the fundraiser and that I needed an outfit she offered to call Miss Celine, Grandma's stylist, to find us all outfits. I agreed because I don't think I'd be up for the big shopping trip that your sister and Steph would turn it into. I love your sister, but I just don't have it in me right now."
"My sister is a force and combined with Steph not much can stop them. It's ok if you don't want to do a big shopping spree." Logan commented thinking about how Rory nodded off while reading before dinner on Friday.
"Well, she asked me if my apartment had enough space for everything because Miss Celine travels with enough clothes to rival the merchandise at Sak's, and I realized that it doesn't have nearly enough space."
"Ok, well you can use my apartment on Fifth for the fitting," Logan had spent enough time around his sister and his mother to know exactly what Rory was referring to. "While most of the personal effects are gone, all the furniture is still there, I can call the doorman and have them remove the dust covers."
Rory scoffed slightly, thinking that there were ways Logan did things that wouldn't even occur to her. She didn't want to change anything about him, but she wondered if she'd ever get fully used to his style of living. "I was going to ask to borrow the apartment but that's not all that was bothering me. If I don't have enough space for Grandma and Miss Celine how are we going to raise two kids here? You don't technically live here, but you might as well, and when the babies come you'll be here all the time, and I wouldn't want you anywhere else, but this apartment just isn't big enough for the four of us."
"Well," Logan began as he made his way over to the couch to sit down next to his girlfriend. "Since you brought it up, I was thinking that we could start thinking about finding a bigger place for us. As a family."
Rory looked at Logan as she thought about what he was suggesting. While she wasn't totally ready to officially be living with Logan, she did know that they were going to need a bigger place soon and she really did want to be living with him before the babies came. Before she had a chance to speak, Logan spoke again, "It's just something to think about." As he shifted as if to get off the couch, Rory grabbed his hand to keep him still.
"I'll think about it, but I don't think there's much to think about," Rory said sweetly.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, just give me some time ok." She said seriously, hoping to stop him from going out and buying them a house before lunch.
"Ok, you've been patient with me for years, the least I can do is give you some time to consider us moving in together." Logan had another thing he wanted to tell Rory, but after their recent fight and the near-meltdown that just occurred, he wondered if he should put it off.
"What's wrong, Huntzberger?" Rory said suddenly.
"How do you know somethings wrong?" Logan said with a charming smile, hoping to distract her.
"Don't try and charm me, you have that look on your face that you get when you and the boys have done something stupid. Did Finn sink another yacht?"
"I haven't done anything; I can't say the same about Finn though."
"Logan-" Rory warned.
Logan sighed to gather his thoughts before telling her what happened. "Do you remember the other day you said I could contact Odette about how to present our situation to the media?"
"Yes," Rory said haltingly.
"Well, I sent her an email and I heard back just now."
"Oh?" Despite all of the feelings surrounding that situation, Rory couldn't help but be curious.
"Yeah," Logan stated, "She thinks telling them we broke up earlier is a good idea and will happily go along with it. She was in a similar situation to ours, and now they're getting married, saying we broke up earlier would make their situation easier as well."
"She's not angry?"
"Nope, she also said congratulations."
"Really?" Rory was honestly shocked by that information.
"Yes. Take a look," Logan said as he pulled up the email on his phone then handed it to Rory. "We were friends who were pushed into a PR relationship that neither one loudly objected to. There was no harm done by my ending things."
As Rory read the email she seemed to visibly relax. "I can't believe she's perfectly fine with the whole scheme. She's happy for us!" Rory said stunned.
"We're friends but that's it, now we all have the chance to be happy and she's thrilled." Logan smiled at Rory who was rereading the email.
"Well now we know what we're going to do with the press, but what about the rest of it?"
"That, we'll just have to wait and see." Logan laughed as he kissed her forehead. "In Omnia Paratus, Ace!"
"I'm pretty sure this was not why they coined that phrase." Logan just laughed again and leaned into the couch, pulling Rory back with him as they talked about the fundraiser some more.
A few days later Rory was getting on the elevator to go up to Logan's Fifth Avenue apartment to meet Emily, Francine, and Miss Celine. She had called the doorman to tell him to let Emily in so she wouldn't have to deal with trying to wrangle Miss Celine, the clothes, and her grandmother up to the apartment.
When Rory let herself into the large penthouse apartment, she was greeted by her enthusiastic grandmother.
"Rory!" Emily cried when she spotted her. "Look at you! I'm so glad you're here. Miss Celine has the most wonderful outfits for you to try. Now I didn't bring Berta with me, but I was able to make us some tea." Rory laughed at Emily's exuberance.
"Thank you for doing this for me Grandma, I really appreciate it."
"Of course, dear. Now we've set up in the master suite, come on," Emily said as she herded Rory through the penthouse.
When Emily pushed open the doors to the master suite Rory was bombarded with rows of dresses in a range of styles in colours. Before Rory could say anything, Miss Celine decided to make her presence known. "Sabrina! I haven't seen you since Emily tried that Oscar de la Renta wedding gown!"
"Hi, Miss Celine. How are you?"
"I'm just fabulous Sabrina! I hear you're about to marry Richard Burton!"
"I didn't know you knew Logan, Miss Celine," Rory said, sidestepping the marriage comment.
"Oh yes! I dressed his mother, a horrid woman. She always dressed more like Marilyn, but I kept telling her she was Mae West. She didn't like that at all!" Rory laughed at Miss Celine's interaction with Shira Huntzberger.
"While I'm involved with Logan Miss Celine, I'm not going to be trying on wedding dresses today."
"Oh, I know dear! I've got some wonderful dresses for you to wear to the event. I have the perfect dress in mind for when you marry your man." Miss Celine sang as she pinched her cheeks then went off into the maze of dresses. Once Rory turned away from where Miss Celine disappeared too she noticed Francine sitting on the couch near the fireplace.
"Hello Grandmother," Rory said stiffer then she greeted Emily.
"Hello, Rory. Come sit, I promise I won't bite." Rory smiled a little then sat next to Francine. "Grandma," she said to Emily, who was engrossed in the dresses lining the master suite, "Can you come to sit by me for a minute, I have some news."
"Is something wrong with the baby?"
"What's the matter?" Both grandmothers answered at the same time.
"Nothing is the matter," Rory said quickly, hoping to calm everyone down. "But it turns out you'll be having more than one great-grandchild in June," Rory said nervously.
The two ladies stared at her for a moment before Francine spoke. "Rory, are you having twins?"
A wide grin broke out on Rory's face as she nodded vigorously.
"Oh Rory, that's just wonderful!" Emily said excitedly as she wrapped her granddaughter in a tight hug.
"Thanks, Grandma," Rory said happily as she pulled out copies of her ultrasound and handed them to Emily and Francine. "Those are your great-grandchildren."
"Oh, Rory," Rory smiled as her grandmothers examined the photo. "We're pretty excited even if we're equally terrified."
"Oh, that happens," Francine interjected, looking up from the picture. "Twins run in the family, and I witnessed a few terrified expecting mothers try to prepare for twins."
"Really?" Rory said shocked.
"Yes, I have a twin sister, and my mother would mention the extra chaos that came with raising twins. Then when my sister had twins of her own, I had a front-row seat to just how terrified she was." At Rory's shocked and panicked look, Francine quickly elaborated. "Once she got over the terror, she was so excited."
"Wow, I didn't realize twins actually ran in the family."
"Oh yes. It was actually a bigger shock to my family when Christopher ended up an only child," Francine said with an amused smile.
"Well," Emily said excitedly, "We know there are two, what else do we know?"
Rory chuckled lightly because she knew Emily would only be able to stay silent so long, "We know that one is a girl" Rory said pointing to one baby, "and that one's a boy" gesturing to the other. "And we know that they'll likely come early."
"That's just splendid!" Emily said with a grin, "Have you guys talked about names at all?"
"We talked a little about their middle and last names, but not much else."
"Last names?" Francine chimed in, "What was there to discuss about last names?"
"I told Logan that I wanted them to have his last name. I didn't like the idea of giving them just my last name, I want us to be seen as a family and I was also a little worried that if I didn't that other people would think we were hiding something." Neither grandmother said anything but agreed, knowing that people could be cruel and that questions would be asked if the children didn't have Huntzberger in their name somehow.
"And what about middle names?" Emily asked, hoping to break the silence that had descended over the small group.
"We're probably going to use our first names. Lorelai for the girl and Logan for the boy."
"I'm surprised you aren't using Lorelai as a first name," Francine commented.
"It didn't feel right. The tradition will be in there, but it won't be as obvious." Rory said cryptically. She didn't want to go into further detail with Francine right then.
Before much else could be said Miss Celine appeared with an armful of dresses and beckoned Rory to the master bath to change.
Rory had tried on three dresses and decided to sit for a bit as she was getting tired, luckily Francine started browsing, distracting Miss Celine in the process.
"Rory," Emily said, making Rory look up from her reclined position on the couch. "Since the babies are likely to come early we should start planning the baby shower now."
"Grandma, that's really not necessary," Rory said pleadingly.
"It'd be my pleasure, you just tell me who you want there and I'll take it from there."
"Alright, thanks, Grandma. But nothing to fancy ok? I don't need caviar or black ties at the shower."
"Alright, Rory," Emily said conceding to not recreate Rory's 21st birthday. "Now, where and when should we have the shower," Emily said as she pulled her planner out of her purse.
Rory sat and thought for a bit, remembering that Paris said the babies would likely come early. She had done some more research and knew that making it to 37 weeks with twins was considered a huge success, so she wanted to air on the side of caution with the shower and not risk going into labour at the party. "How about sometime in April? I know it's on the early side, but I think it's better in this case."
Emily nodded and quickly flipped through her planner. "How about the first Saturday in April? I know it's early but it'll give you a chance to sort everything out and be able to set up your home the way you want it with time to spare."
"That sounds perfect Grandma, thank you."
"Come on Sabrina, I found the perfect dress for you!" Miss Celine bellowed from the sea of dresses. Rory and Emily both laughed lightly as Rory got off the couch.
"I can't leave Miss Celine waiting."
"No you can't, go on."
Rory smiled and headed back through the dresses. After trying on at least ten dresses she was getting worn out and hoped that the one she had just put on would be a success. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she knew that this was the right dress for the fundraiser. The royal blue floor-length dress was classy and stylish, but still conservative and appropriate for a children's charity fundraiser. The dress had a lace top, an empire waist, a solid skirt that flowed elegantly over her baby bump, with long sleeves with bell cuffs with black velvet ribbons at the cuffs, neckline, and waist.
When Rory came out of the bathroom to show the dress to Francine and Emily, they both approved of the dress he was wearing.
"You look wonderful Rory," Emily exclaimed happily. "It's the perfect outfit for the fundraiser."
"Yes, that's the ideal dress for you to wear. It's exactly the type of outfit people will expect you to wear to the event." Rory shook her head at Francine's comment, she knew that Francine likely thought she'd wear something slightly inappropriate like her mother did when being dragged to these events but was glad that Francine seemed to approve.
"Thank you, this
"Oh, Sabrina!" Miss Celine cried once she got a look at Rory, "That dress is perfect for you! Now that we have you sorted, I am determined to get both your grandmothers looking fabulous as well! Come, come!"
After Miss Celine dragged the two women into the rows of dresses, Rory changed out of her chosen dress and sat down on the couch to watch the madness. She couldn't help but laugh as Miss Celine bossed around Emily Gilmore and Francine Hayden, as the spectacle went on around her, she realized that despite her initial apprehension, she was looking forward to the fundraiser and desperately hoped that it wouldn't be a disaster.
AN: Not a whole lot happened in this chapter, but I'll make that up to you all in the next one! The fundraiser, a few unexpected guests and more Lorelai!
Review if you please!
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